Sherborn's Matthew Herrold reunites with Best Buddies

Friday

Best Buddies was part of Matthew Herrold’s life when he was a teenager, and will be a part of his life again in June.

SHERBORN — Best Buddies was part of Matthew Herrold’s life when he was a teenager, and will be a part of his life again in June.

On Saturday, June 2, Herrold will take part in the Best Buddies: Hyannis Port Challenge, a bike ride with a variety of routes (from 20 miles to 100 miles). Then on Saturday, June 30, he will sponsor a “Four Corners Cruise 5K” run through his old neighborhood in Sherborn.

The reason Matthew Herrold is undertaking these events goes back to last summer, when he lost one of his best buddies — his father, John Herrold, who died in August 2017 from injuries sustained in a bicycling accident. Matthew, who had been living in Acton, came back to Sherborn to help his mother and deal with the estate.

According to his Best Buddies fundraising page, “while sorting out estate papers, I came across the binder she used to detail the two years I rode in the Hyannis Port Challenge…”

He first rode the Challenge when he was 13, and his mother taught him to fundraise.

“This thoughtfully curated and carefully organized binder created 17 years ago tells the story of my mother’s hard work in counseling me in something I had never done before…,” he wrote.

He rode the Challenge again when he was 14, then obligations such as school forced Herrold to leave the Challenge behind.

His father didn’t forget, though. John Herrold’s favorite activity was cycling, and he often wore his son’s Best Buddies jerseys.

Matthew is returning the favor — for the Challenge, he will go for a personal record on his father’s bicycle and wear his father’s cycling shoes. His team name — Team Lancaster Unknown — was based on the name given to his father by the hospital until the family provided them with the proper identity.

Visit his fundraising page (https://www.bestbuddieschallenge.org/hp/support/#MatthewHerrold) for a chance to win gift cards and other prizes (via donations, of course). His goal is to raise $10,000.

As for the run

The 5K organized by Matthew Herrold is closer to home — literally.

The course snakes through his childhood neighborhood on Wildwood Road, which is close to Bear Hill Road and Western Avenue.

The run will begin at 9:30 a.m.; the course, as well as how to register and donate, may be found via https://4cornerscruise.racewire.com

After venturing through several of the neighborhood’s cul de sacs, participants will head back to the Herrold house on Wildwood, where a post-race barbecue will take place.

Unable to run? You can sign up as a virtual runner.

As with the Challenge, Herrold said he is dedicating this event to his family.

“This will be a celebration of life and helping each other,” he wrote on his fundraising page.

Preregistration/RSVP is required to participate.

Best Buddies

Best known for its connection to Patriots legend Tom Brady, Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.